Jodi Thomas by The Texans Wager

Author:The Texans Wager
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2012-06-13T06:15:04+00:00

FIFTEEN

“WAIT!” RAIN BEGAN TO SPLATTER IN HUGE DROPS AS Sheriff Riley ran toward Bailee and Carter. “Stop!” he yelled in anger and panic. “The child has to go!”

The train paid no heed to his cry as it picked up speed with each revolution of the wheels. The engine’s hollow cry echoed across the stormy sky, whitewashing all other sounds.

A few feet from Carter, Riley realized Piper’s escape was lost. He folded forward, his words coming between jagged breaths. “Even if her grandmother turns around at the first stop and comes back”—he gulped in air before continuing—“it will take her hours to return. What are we going to do with the kid until then? How can we keep her safe?”

Carter said nothing. Piper held to him as if to life. Bailee stood solid at his side. She wasn’t sure what would happen, but she’d promised to stand beside him and, right or wrong, that was what she planned to do.

Smith finally reached them. He was slower than Riley, but no less angry. He pointed a thin finger at Carter like a weapon. “She’s not safe with any of us. Everyone in town knows we were keeping an eye on her. Even if you leave, it wouldn’t be hard to track you down, Carter. I had every deputy in town riding on that train to see her safely home. Now I’ll have to send a telegram and get them back as fast as possible.”

Riley agreed. “All three of you could be dead before the grandmother gets back. The men who robbed the train know they’ll be hanged if caught. They can’t afford to leave a witness.”

Smith paced out a square, nodding at Riley’s words as if keeping time to music. “She would have been better off with her grandmother. In a few hours she would have been home with her father.” He sang Riley’s chorus one more time.

Bailee had no argument to defend against the lawmen’s rage. The sheriffs were right, but somehow it hadn’t been fair to send Piper with that horrible woman. Yet, by saving her, Carter may have put the child’s life in great danger. At least with the grandmother, she’d be away from this place and hopefully out of the outlaws’ range.

Carter showed no sign of turning loose of Piper. He faced the two lawmen and let them yell until their steam vanished like that of the train‘s, then he said calmly, “That wasn’t Piper’s grandmother.”

“What?” both men chimed at once. “How do you know?”

“Piper told me, or tried to before the woman stopped her hands. It took me a while to guess what she’d been about to sign.”

“And you figured it would be your word against the old woman’s, so you risked the child’s neck letting her jump from the train?” Riley reasoned.

“No,” Carter answered. “It would have been Piper’s word against the old woman’s. Who would you have believed?”

The lawmen looked at each other.

“Mrs. Tyler Halloway had no reason to lie,” Smith ventured.

“Unless she was paid by the outlaws.

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